D&D 5E Considering a new concentration mechanic

[Hawk Diesel]

So I understand the importance of concentration as a limiting factor to the power of spellcasting. It prevents the abuse and laying of spells that you could achieve in 5e. But there are certain spells that, while concentration makes sense, it also doesn't. This especially is noticeable in some of the new spells in XGtE. Take for example, Shadow Blade. This spell outright assumes you are going to be using it in melee. Spellcasters are generally squishy enough wading into combat and making themselves targets. Now it makes sense to make this require taking your concentration slot. However, if you cast this and go into melee, it is nearly guaranteed that you will be attacked. And since you are using your concentration slot, outside of mage armor, multiclassing for armor proficiency, or magic items, you are not gonna have a great AC. So you have a high chance of getting hit. How useful is a spell to use in melee if it can be dispelled after a bad concentration check?

An even better example is Primordial Ward. This spell outright assumes you are going to take damage, and thus benefiting from this spell means that you will need to make concentration checks. How useful is a spell like this if it will potentially max out at a fraction of its spell duration?

So I'd like to propose a new mechanic. Light Concentration, and Heavy Concentration. You will still only be able to use a single concentration spell at a time, regardless if it is classified as Light Concentration or Heavy Concentration. This prevents spell layering and those potentially game breaking combos of spells. The difference would be that Light Concentration spells cannot be disrupted by taking damage. These are the spells designed for being in melee range or the ones that require you to take damage in order to actually benefit from them. This allows a character to not have to worry that they will be nerfed by a bad roll. But it still allows those other spells to be disrupted.

What do people think? Alternatively, does concentration even come up or get remembered often enough to make creating a new mechanic even worthwhile?

 

[Croesus]

An interesting idea. And yes, with my group, concentration spells are cast in pretty much every encounter, so the potential for losing concentration due to damage comes up all the time.

As a general rule, I'd be inclined to apply LC to spells that buff the target (blur, primordial ward, shadow blade), and HC to spells that damage or otherwise constrain targets at a distance (insect plague, wall of force). One would still have to make a determination spell by spell to limit the potential for abuse. For example, I would probably keep bless as HC, given how good the spell is.

 

[Stalker0]

This is basically word for the word the same houserule in my game.

For me it worked great. I used it mainly with certain defensive spells that I thought was silly to get taken down with damage...and it worked just as I hoped.

 

[5ekyu]

The dc for the save is fairly low so if you go with reducing the already limited numbers of spells that can fail, you should imo raise the dc of those that do. If you take all/most of the cases where you expect there to be a save required and give them a pass, those few others where "don't expect to have to save" should not get dc10 saves or half what hits etc but more like dc15 or damage 1 for 1.

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[The Crimson Binome]

If you're using feats and you don't mind letting feats do the heavy lifting, you could edit the first bullet point of the War Caster feat to also include that you never have to make a concentration check for a spell that only targets yourself.

 

[FrogReaver]

So I understand the importance of concentration as a limiting factor to the power of spellcasting. It prevents the abuse and laying of spells that you could achieve in 5e. But there are certain spells that, while concentration makes sense, it also doesn't. This especially is noticeable in some of the new spells in XGtE. Take for example, Shadow Blade. This spell outright assumes you are going to be using it in melee. Spellcasters are generally squishy enough wading into combat and making themselves targets. Now it makes sense to make this require taking your concentration slot. However, if you cast this and go into melee, it is nearly guaranteed that you will be attacked. And since you are using your concentration slot, outside of mage armor, multiclassing for armor proficiency, or magic items, you are not gonna have a great AC. So you have a high chance of getting hit. How useful is a spell to use in melee if it can be dispelled after a bad concentration check?

An even better example is Primordial Ward. This spell outright assumes you are going to take damage, and thus benefiting from this spell means that you will need to make concentration checks. How useful is a spell like this if it will potentially max out at a fraction of its spell duration?

So I'd like to propose a new mechanic. Light Concentration, and Heavy Concentration. You will still only be able to use a single concentration spell at a time, regardless if it is classified as Light Concentration or Heavy Concentration. This prevents spell layering and those potentially game breaking combos of spells. The difference would be that Light Concentration spells cannot be disrupted by taking damage. These are the spells designed for being in melee range or the ones that require you to take damage in order to actually benefit from them. This allows a character to not have to worry that they will be nerfed by a bad roll. But it still allows those other spells to be disrupted.

What do people think? Alternatively, does concentration even come up or get remembered often enough to make creating a new mechanic even worthwhile?

What you propose meets your goals but its fiddly as you literally have to go through whole spell book and rate each spell and then actually remember the difference in play.

What I think. Most concentration spells are really strong and fight changing type spells. The defensive ones already decrease the chance you are going to lose them by lowering the chance you take damage in the first place.

What I am afraid of seeing is a 20AC sword and shield Eldritch knight at level 7 using blur leaving most monsters absolutely no chance of removing the spell.

A level 13 eldritch knight fighter using shadow blade in a level 3 slot and wrecking everything with it. No chance to lose it etc.

The problem is that on already defensive classes that get spell casting, them casting a defensive spell and having no worry about concentration being broken would be terrible. Wheras having blur on the low ac wizard is no problem even if his concentration can't be broken.

I'm actually less worried about bless and hunter's mark and hex and magic weapon and such than I am about blur or shield of faith. A paladin / cleric hitting 22-23 ac early on is game changing. Leaving most enemies with a 10% or so chance to hit you is nuts.

 

[Li Shenron]

So I understand the importance of concentration as a limiting factor to the power of spellcasting. It prevents the abuse and laying of spells that you could achieve in 5e. But there are certain spells that, while concentration makes sense, it also doesn't. This especially is noticeable in some of the new spells in XGtE. Take for example, Shadow Blade. This spell outright assumes you are going to be using it in melee. Spellcasters are generally squishy enough wading into combat and making themselves targets. Now it makes sense to make this require taking your concentration slot. However, if you cast this and go into melee, it is nearly guaranteed that you will be attacked. And since you are using your concentration slot, outside of mage armor, multiclassing for armor proficiency, or magic items, you are not gonna have a great AC. So you have a high chance of getting hit. How useful is a spell to use in melee if it can be dispelled after a bad concentration check?

An even better example is Primordial Ward. This spell outright assumes you are going to take damage, and thus benefiting from this spell means that you will need to make concentration checks. How useful is a spell like this if it will potentially max out at a fraction of its spell duration?

So I'd like to propose a new mechanic. Light Concentration, and Heavy Concentration. You will still only be able to use a single concentration spell at a time, regardless if it is classified as Light Concentration or Heavy Concentration. This prevents spell layering and those potentially game breaking combos of spells. The difference would be that Light Concentration spells cannot be disrupted by taking damage. These are the spells designed for being in melee range or the ones that require you to take damage in order to actually benefit from them. This allows a character to not have to worry that they will be nerfed by a bad roll. But it still allows those other spells to be disrupted.

What do people think? Alternatively, does concentration even come up or get remembered often enough to make creating a new mechanic even worthwhile?

I think you have a point. In fact, during the playtest of 5e Mearls talked about originally having separate mechanics called "Focus" and "Concentration", one of which was supposed to cover the possibility of disrupting a spellcaster's ongoing spell, and the other was meant to prevent buffs-stacking.

I must say that I am also not 100% satisfied by a single rule that combines both. I could have actually lived without the whole idea of disrupting a spellcaster's ongoing spells by damaging her. To me it's an interesting tactical addition to the game, but not an absolutely necessary one.

 

[Raith5]

Good idea. I have to say though that everyone in my playing group (including the DM) fails their concentration check to make our characters make their concentration checks from damage. We are really bad a remembering this rule.

 

[5ekyu]

Raith5 if you use minis or tokens, a poker chip or something beside or under concentrating chars might help as visible cue.

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[Lehrbuch]

So I understand the importance of concentration as a limiting factor to the power of spellcasting. It prevents the abuse and laying of spells that you could achieve in 5e. But there are certain spells that, while concentration makes sense, it also doesn't...What do people think? Alternatively, does concentration even come up or get remembered often enough to make creating a new mechanic even worthwhile?

Rather than messing with these rules I think a better solution is to make some magic items available that help.

For example, a magic item which allows you to ignore a failed Constitution Saving Throw to maintain concentration (and has charges, I guess). Or a have a familiar power that gives Advantage on Constitution Saving Throws to maintain concentration when the familiar can see you. Or something like that.